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Bolus insulin adjustment before exercise

M

Mileana

Well-Known Member
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Location
Denmark
Heyas people,

I am going to go on basal/bolus insulin for type 2 diabetes from Saturday (been on premix so far).

I am wondering... If I have planned to go for a 5 mile walk (hour and a half of moderate exercise), what is a good initial guess of how much my bolus should be reduced?

The only thing my doc has said so far is to adjust depending on figures pre-meal but that would land me in hypo, I think, if I just continue as I have now?

Is there a rule of thumb or a percentage or something that some of you folk know of?

I am so not going to sit on my backside for a few weeks waiting for guidelines, I just started exercise again after a long time off ill.

Thanks for any pointers...
 
The DAFNE guidelines for a 1 hour plus exercise is to reduce your bolus by 30-50% but cautiously says that extra CP's (carbohydrates) may be required. Anything above 4 hours then a reduction in both basal and bolus is required by 50%....again they say carbohydrate snacks may be required.

Keep in mind that this is just a guide and we all respond to exercise differently and the way it effects our bg during and after exercise, I personally exercise each night anywhere from 60-90 mins and reduce my QA by a third together with eating a banana (20g snack). The best advice is to test rigorously during and after exercise and always carry fast-acting glucose and snacks at all times, also keep in mind that exercise can lower bg up to 18 hours after due to the body replacing the glucose stores in the muscles.
 
Okay, thanks a lot - that was useful information.

I am not familiar with the DAFNE programme as I'm not from the UK, but I will try to see if I can look into it a bit more closely.

Unfortunately, I haven't been given too much information on the details of living with diabetes and the whole insulin thing, so I am trying to invent the wheel again, heh.

I have been very curious about my own levels and I think that I know to a sensible degree how much my blood glucose drops from certain types of exercise on my current regime - I think that will change though, but at least I am now familiar with the way it feels and hope that I will learn quickly.

Thank you for the advice in any case - appreciate it. And yup, I tend to get hypo's, so I shan't go anywhere without Dextrose and stuff, hehe.

-M
 
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